Not cheap, you know it is a handful -- but less than all those FL as primes!

This is one of my all-time favorite Canon lenses. I know its size intimidates a lot of people, but it is great for events and weddings. Shoots well wide open. Smooth Leica-like color and tonal transitions make it ideal for shooting people and travel. Coupled with the 16-35L II on another body, you can cover everything in decent light or high ISO. For less range and lighter weight, use the 24-105L IS.

Panmunjom

Registered: December 2009Posts: 1

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM review by Panmunjom

Review Date: 12/28/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

Build quality, Also comes in black (for Japan customers only).

Cons:

Heavy, Expensive (I don't own it but I do get to use it everyday)

I use this lens at work with a Canon T1i, I think it works better than the old Nikon D90 & equivalent lens which was rendered damaged beyond repair after having been dropped out the door of a helicopter.

The IS feature on this lens comes in real handy since most of my shots are from a moving helicopter, we also bought a better camera strap.

Most people in this forum have mentioned that this lens only comes in white but the one I use is black; maybe it's a special order.

joelypolly

Registered: April 2009Posts: 2

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM review by joelypolly

Review Date: 4/19/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 10

Pros:

Sharp, nice range, build quality, excellent IS and very versatile

Cons:

Bit heavy to hand hold at 300mm and does suck in dust on non sealed bodies

Definitely a good lens for the price. Sharp and the zoom range makes it the perfect lens to use for travel.... not so good if you can't carry a heavy lens.

To all those that are complaining about it being a dust pump check to see where the air is being sucked in from your camera. On my 30D it sucks air through the battery compartment so you might want to try and keep that area clean or try and seal it against dust. Those that have a sealed camera shouldn't have any issues.

The pull/push design is much easier to use than two ring style on the normal zooms.

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 8

Pros:

Wide zoom range

Cons:

Heavy, expensive, with high distortions on the sides of full frame cameras

It is a great-looking, well built lens. Full review of the image quality you'll find on http://pikespeakphoto.com/tests/canonlens28-300.htm
In summary, the image quality is good for cameras with APS-C sensor, but not as good as a combo of small Canon lenses EF 24-85 mm f/3.5-4.5 USM and EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 USM, that cover even a larger range of focal lengths, cumulatively weigh twice less and cost 4x less than this single one. If you hate changing lenses and don't mind carrying 3.7 pounds (plus camera weight), and money is not a factor, this lens is right for you.

Dogflies

Registered: December 2007Posts: 1

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM review by Dogflies

Review Date: 12/29/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $2,100.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Versatility, quaility, image stabilization

Cons:

Weight, price

Great lens. Nice lens to have if you don't want to change out lens during your trip. Love the fact that you only need carry a single lens and still have a wide focal range. Great optics, produces sharp pictures. The weight is the only downside to this lens, but well worth the workout. Would recommend this lens, especially for travel where space is important.

frances

Registered: September 2007Posts: 4

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM review by frances

Review Date: 9/24/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $2,400.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

sharp, versatile

Cons:

heavy

I have used this lens for about 2 and a half years now. It is wonderful. Sturdy construction and very sharp, contrasty images. I shoot a lot of nature and wildlife, and where the target is within close enough range, the images are superior to the 100~400 (which I also have) The push pull zoom operates smoothly. The build quality is excellent. It focuses quickly and quietly. Image stabilization works great. The only inconveniences that I have with this lens are the weight and the cost. It is heavier and more expensive than the 100~400, but the images are better. If I can take only one lens, this is it. I just wish Canon and Nikon were interchangeable. Then I could use this lens on the Nikon d200.

Treble57

Registered: March 2007Posts: 2

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM review by Treble57

Review Date: 3/17/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $2,300.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

28mm to 300mm FF!

Cons:

Slow f/3.5-5.6

I'm not an expert here, and this is my first review, so bear with me! The lens recently went with me on a vacation to Walt Disney World. I brought my 5D and 30D for this trip. While heavy, I carried the zoom with me most of the time. The significance of having such a zoom ratio made the weight trade off worth it, in an environment where carrying a bag of lenses would have been a bit much. On my FF 5D, the lens is as advertised. I found no image issues at any focal point or aperture. Difficult to shoot "speed" or bracket exposures, but otherwise fine. My most "normal" lens is the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM (which is my BEST lens!) but for this particular day in the Magic Kingdom, I needed a longer lens option. Well worth it.